The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

By HOWARD MOZEL Oakvifle Beaver Staff “Be aware,” says Ribble, explaining people can just as easily be killed when they have the right of way. It was decided to attack the problem from a public education stance rather than adhering to the letter of the law and issuing tickets under the Highway Traffic Act. Spreading the word in this manner does have successful prece- dents. For example, Ribble said the Attorney General’s Office released statistics Wednesday morning stating 96% of Oakville residents now comply with the seatbelt law. ad habits - no matter how ingrained- can very often be hanged if offered the right motivation This Is exactly what Halton Regional Police hope to provide Saturday during a special campaign designed to highlight pedestrian and motorist safety. The three-hour blitz takes place from 10 am. to 1 pm. and will feature teams of volunteers (usually an adult and a high school student) handing out leaflets outlining the need for drivers and pedestrians to be aware of Highway Traffic Act regulations and especially each other. "Any time you give someone some free advice to save their lives it’s an advantage,” says Village Constable Gary Ribble. The officer said the effort came about after the issue of pedestrian- motorist safety was raised at each of the last five meetings of the Downtown Oakville Advisory Board. Members themselves said they had experienced close calls while Ribble said he person- ally witnessed three near-misses this past week. Downtown safety blitz Saturday “We don't want people to come to OTHS student Rachel Smith, a member of PRIDE, Lois Picard, chair of the Downtown Oakville Advisory Board, Audrey Michell, Town of Oakville, and Village Constable Gary Ribble will be handing out pedestrian safety pam- phlets in the downtown area Saturday. (Photo by PeterMcCusker) Saturday’s campaign is a joint effort between Ribble, the l4-member Advisory Board - which is comprised of representatives from the Downtown BIA, Town of Oakville and concerned citizens - and the Parent Resource Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE) doWntown Oakville and be ticketed to death in the interest of public safety.” Fines are $90 for pedestrians who fail to use a crosswalk, don’t obey a red light or ignore a “Don’t Walk” signal. Motorists can be fined $90 and docked three points for each of the following: failing to yield to a pedestn'an and fail- ing to stop or disobeying a stop sign or stop light The pamphlets were designed by Rachel Smith, a member of PRIDE and a student of Oakville-Trafalgar High School. On Saturday they will be hand- ed out by teams of volunteers stationed at eight downtown intersections. They The timing of the blitz is no acci- dent since the Christmas shopping sea- son will soon be upon us and weather conditions will take a mm for the slip- pery. Whatever the outcome of the pic- ject, Ribble is gratified by the unquali- fied support it’s received. “It is such an ongoing offence and so dangerous that people have to be educated,” says the officer, "who thanked the Town’s Parking department for its assistance. Although Saturday’s campaign is essentially a test, Ribble says he hopes to reduce violations by between 20% and 30% and make it an annual event. will also be available at the parking garage. Other volunteers will also be roving the area explaining what sec- tions of the Act apply. A police cruiser in the Town Square will help draw attention while Ribble will be hand as well.